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Post by Matt on Jul 10, 2023 22:02:14 GMT
If someone can shout when he will be on as I will book. It's been well over a year now and think this deserves a return visit! The alternate date has always been Mondays. |
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Post by theatrefan77 on Jul 10, 2023 22:50:44 GMT
A cast change is always a good excuse to revisit this show
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Post by colelarson on Aug 17, 2023 21:55:52 GMT
Saw this again this afternoon in Row F of the stalls and mind still blown with the ending with the car even on my 3rd visit!
We had the alternate Marty: Elliott Evans who we really liked, he played the role well and was suited to the part and believable as the time travelling Future Boy, he had great rapport with Cory English as Doc.
Great to see Jay Perry as Goldie, loved him in 'Sylvia' at The Old Vic and he is a joy to witness on stage; his big number "Gotta Start Somewhere" is superb. Also enjoyed Sarah Goggin as Lorraine Baines she was fun to watch in the "Pretty Baby" number and preferred her as the Mum to Amber Davies who I saw in June.
Good participating audience who laughed and clapped along at the right moments and were very well behaved around my section which is always a joy!
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Post by darreno on Sept 10, 2023 20:52:57 GMT
Saw this again this afternoon in Row F of the stalls and mind still blown with the ending with the car even on my 3rd visit! We had the alternate Marty: Elliott Evans who we really liked, he played the role well and was suited to the part and believable as the time travelling Future Boy, he had great rapport with Cory English as Doc. Great to see Jay Perry as Goldie, loved him in 'Sylvia' at The Old Vic and he is a joy to witness on stage; his big number "Gotta Start Somewhere" is superb. Also enjoyed Sarah Goggin as Lorraine Baines she was fun to watch in the "Pretty Baby" number and preferred her as the Mum to Amber Davies who I saw in June. Good participating audience who laughed and clapped along at the right moments and were very well behaved around my section which is always a joy! Headed along to this again today as I had a day in London with nothing planned, instead of trying to decide on something new, I figured I'd go to something I knew wouldn't disappoint. I'd hoped to see Elliot Evans on as Marty but wasn't to be. Just another reason to catch a Monday show I suppose! Sunday shows tend to have more bad behaviour than others, so I went for centre of second row so I'd be less likely to encounter any, unfortunately I had a bright screen phone user two seats down. Such a shame. This was a signed performance and the translator did a brilliant job! Full of action and character, she really put a shift in and got a good round of applause. Sarah Goggin was particularly good, think she may be the best Lorraine I've seen? Or at least the one I enjoyed most. Oliver Nicholas was an excellent George too. Particularly came to life in the second half for all of his big 'moments'. Grace Swaby-Moore is absolutely brilliant as part of the ensemble, she would be a performer I'd definitely go to see in whatever she appears in next. Had that X factor that makes someone stand out as a real star. Really fun show, think that was the fourth time I've caught it. Would go again, especially with a 'non-believer' as a way to convert them to the righteous MT cause. 😁 |
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Post by LaLuPone on Sept 10, 2023 20:55:38 GMT
darreno yes Grace Swaby-Moore is definitely one to watch. I was disappointed that Courtney Stapleton was going to be off when I saw Beauty and the Beast at the Palladium because she’d been so good as Belle on tour, but Grace was also fantastic, she has an absolutely killer voice.
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Post by darreno on Sept 10, 2023 20:58:49 GMT
darreno yes Grace Swaby-Moore is definitely one to watch. I was disappointed that Courtney Stapleton was going to be off when I saw Beauty and the Beast at the Palladium because she’d been so good as Belle on tour, but Grace was also fantastic, she has an absolutely killer voice. Ahhh, THAT'S what I'd seen her in before!!! Superb. |
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Post by darreno on Sept 10, 2023 20:59:03 GMT
darreno yes Grace Swaby-Moore is definitely one to watch. I was disappointed that Courtney Stapleton was going to be off when I saw Beauty and the Beast at the Palladium because she’d been so good as Belle on tour, but Grace was also fantastic, she has an absolutely killer voice. Ahhh, THAT'S what I'd seen her in before!!! Superb. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Oct 20, 2023 20:24:59 GMT
I've seen this twice recently, a Friday evening show, plus the Friday matinee today (I'm not sure why there was an extra matinee today and I only spotted this by chance). Both times were Rush tickets in the McFly zone, which is absolutely perfect. This is one of the easiest shows to Rush and it rarely sells out.
The first of the two shows, the tickets were arriving without barcodes, and there was chaos in the Box Office with queues and ticket records being completed by hand. I had my ticket number, so if they'd let me in with just that, I wouldn't have been panicked it was after the official start time, and they'd have saved the poor chap in the Box Office a lot of anxiety. Nevermind. I think everyone got in.
Purely by chance, both have been Elliot Evans shows. He is adorable, with the odd (also adorable) moment of high camp to his performance. Now, I have a special place for Ben Joyce as a Jersey Boys fan (and this is the perfect role for Ben), but I'd be quite happy also if Elliot was on every time I visit.
Cory English is totally faultless and absolutely joy to watch. There are certain traits you expect from Cory and he doesn't disappoint. I love the way he engages the kids in the front row. He also has ad-libs, now I'm sure they are cycled through, but they come across as so fresh. Such chemistry with Elliot as well.
It's a strong cast, although they often seem short of people and the swings get to go on a lot. The first show had a Starlighters' band of only two people (Jay Perry and swing Dylan Gordon-Jones) which looked rather odd with no one playing the drums. Even today, Dylan came on for the second half (unannounced). No complaints. He always draws the eye, and his flips as the curtain goes down are worth seeing.
The revelation to me has been Jay Perry. What a voice. This is a tiny role compared to Hamilton, but he gets so much more of a chance to show off his range.
It's an odd show. There are random line changes and dance moves. There are people there who just want to applaud the movie moments. And there are parents bringing children who are far too long and want to ask questions throughout. But it's also very watchable, with some excellent effects, and just the right way to relive the 1980s. If you were there.
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Post by andrew on Dec 13, 2023 12:26:58 GMT
Somewhere around 3 stars. Positives would be the money spent on making it look good, the talent onstage, the special effects, the story (which obviously is adapted) and the warmth of a Christmassy audience enjoying themselves (especially the American sat next to me who kept wooping at everything, not sure if there's a need for that).
Ultimately though the musical adaptation component is trash. Like, really terrible. We don't need Back To The Future to be Sondheim but we probably do need the songs to actually say something. Almost all of them are the classic example of stopping the show for a song, and then we continue on unaffected. Almost none of the moments justified musicalisation, and when they did (the dreamers song, act 1 closer etc) the song offered just lacked a certain quality. It's the sort of show that you probably do actually want a couple of hummable numbers from - they didn't manage that. None of them were clever or interesting, none offered new perspectives. This would have suited Hairspray style stuff (similar era I guess) with some witty and earwormy songs. But it was just dross.
Like the opening song as far as I recall was about Marty wanting to be a rockstar. This doesn't really have anything to do with the rest of the plot other than the random inclusion at the end of him suddenly becoming a rockstar. There could have been a link between him struggling to find success as a musician (what's the point of playing guitar?, maybe his parents are repeatedly dismissive of this) and him finding success getting his parents to have their kiss through his guitar playing. Setup, payoff, maybe the same motif or a reprise of a section of the song.
Where was the song where he expresses the insane terror of your own existence being wiped out by your own actions? Imagine a song where the father meaningfully talks about being unconfident, being a goofy teenager, being the butt of everyone's jokes. I dunno, there seems to be some obvious wins in the story that they've just not gone for.
It feels like a big waste of potential, it's success based on spectacle onstage, decent people doing it and a recognisable brand to get you in the door. The kids in the audience whom I presume haven't seen the film were getting agitated by mid-Act 2. The actor playing Marty was also basically exploding out of his purple underwear, like I don't want to objectify anyone but I've never seen anything quite like it on a stage, good for him. Not enough to save the show though, sadly.
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Post by usbuzzer on Dec 13, 2023 12:51:38 GMT
One of my big issues with the show was that it's being played soo over-the-top with a very simple humor that really was not funny to me. And I watched half of the movie sequel yesterday and it was exactly the same 😅 So I guess it's not a criticism towards the show, but the material itself. They did good portraying that, I guess.
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Post by Distant Dreamer... on Mar 5, 2024 21:53:54 GMT
I got around to seeing this show last week. Both Elliot Evans as Marty and Stephen Leask as Doc were on. They have such a great rapport on stage, great performances from both. Elliot in particular was amazing, such energy and wonderful stage presence. He’s clearly loving every minute!
One thing I’ve always found unfair is when there are alternates in the cast, they always have smaller biographies in the programme when they usually perform every week and there are hardly ever any production photos of them. Let’s hope one day this could change.
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Post by ceebee on Mar 5, 2024 22:38:40 GMT
I got around to seeing this show last week. Both Elliot Evans as Marty and Stephen Leask as Doc were on. They have such a great rapport on stage, great performances from both. Elliot in particular was amazing, such energy and wonderful stage presence. He’s clearly loving every minute! One thing I’ve always found unfair is when there are alternates in the cast, they always have smaller biographies in the programme when they usually perform every week and there are hardly ever any production photos of them. Let’s hope one day this could change. I agree. Interestingly in the programme for Just For One Day at the Old Vic, the programme has a gatefold photo montage of the cast including alternates/covers plus full biogs. |
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Post by Distant Dreamer... on Mar 10, 2024 10:38:26 GMT
Does anyone know if there is a specific day of the week for the alternate Doc?
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Post by greeny11 on Mar 10, 2024 12:13:54 GMT
Stephen Leask's Instagram suggests Mondays and Sundays are his normal days - I know he normally goes on with Elliot as Marty.
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Post by anita on Mar 11, 2024 10:21:23 GMT
Monday is definitely an alternate Marty day.
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Post by Distant Dreamer... on Mar 11, 2024 17:16:37 GMT
Monday is definitely an alternate Marty day. Yess…I knew that one 😃😃 |
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Post by Distant Dreamer... on Mar 13, 2024 21:12:56 GMT
If anyone is interested, I noticed this clip online. It features Elliot Evans as Marty and Stephen Leask as Doc. It’s great to see them in the roles. Starts about 5:22 into the clip.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 21, 2024 12:30:59 GMT
Ticket in the Noticeboard for todays matinee.
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Post by ladidah on Mar 31, 2024 13:59:53 GMT
Got a good rush, so here today. Unsure how it will be, loads of kids and loud Americans...
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Post by ladidah on Mar 31, 2024 15:16:15 GMT
Interval
Kids are awful, talking, kicking my seat, whining.
The show so far isn't good, definition of average.
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Post by danb on Mar 31, 2024 16:13:33 GMT
Cut your losses and run boy!! 🤣🤣🤣
‘It Works’ is as good as it gets.
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Post by robertb213 on Mar 31, 2024 17:16:56 GMT
It's a great stage spectacle, it's just a very poor musical 😁
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Post by ladidah on Mar 31, 2024 17:50:56 GMT
2nd half was much better. Effects are great, 2 leads are great but the songs are so, so poor.
**1/2
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Post by Distant Dreamer... on Mar 31, 2024 20:51:27 GMT
2nd half was much better. Effects are great, 2 leads are great but the songs are so, so poor. **1/2 Who did you get? When I saw the show yesterday there was one member of the band missing in the dance which was quite funny as the drums was being played invisibly 😂 Lee Ormsby was on as Doc, he was ace! |
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Post by osdtdg on Apr 7, 2024 22:07:19 GMT
I am finally getting around to reviewing this! Saw most of the lead cast with only an understudy for Strickland I believe.
I really enjoyed the music in act one and the comedy landed, but by act two I realised that the music was used more for laughs than to advance plot or characterisation effectively in many cases; at least thats how it felt on my end. The effects were magical though, and I did have fun but I was a bit sad that the score couldn't be used more effectively.
Probably a 3/5 because the cast were talented and what was there was an entertaining night out.
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